Accidents Happen
by Traxits
Summary: Looking for a means of exorcising Ashton's dragons, Leon, Dias, and Ashton stumble on something a little... different.


**Title**: Accidents Happen  
**Author**: Traxits  
**Fandom**: Star Ocean 2  
**Pairing**: Established Dias Flac/Ashton Anchors.  
**Rating**: K.  
**Word Count**: 1380 words.  
**Prompt**: Turn a character into a cute and fluffy animal.  
**Summary**: Looking for a means of exorcising Ashton's dragons, Leon, Dias, and Ashton stumble on something a little... different.

**[[ ... One Shot ... ]]**

"So, we have no idea what-so-ever what this thing does?" Ashton lifted the small cube up over his head, studying the bottom. Leon sighed loudly, his cat-like ears flattening during the noise, and Ashton grinned, a faint blush on his face. "I'm not second guessing you! I'm just wondering at the wisdom of _me_ carrying it." He wiggled the cube a little, watching it catch the light of the torch that Dias was carrying. Gyoro made a low growl of warning, but Ururun was with Ashton; the thing was really strange. It seemed to _absorb_ the light instead of reflecting it. Who had ever heard of something like that?

"Well, Ashton-nii-chan," Leon's voice was low, almost patient. Ashton had to admit: Leon had come a long way from the spoiled brat they'd first discovered. "It took me over a year to compile all of this information. I am very rarely wrong about this sort of thing." After a heartbeat, he seemed to see the wisdom in Ashton's second comment, because he reached up and took the cube from the swordsman. "Will it make you feel better if I carry it?"

"It would certainly make me feel better." Dias stopped for a moment as he double-checked their position. The tunnels were difficult to navigate at best, and with the talking in the background, Ashton was impressed that Dias managed to keep them on course. At least they'd left Leon's personal entourage at the mouth of the cave. A team of scientists, all fawning over Leon's brilliance would have been a little too much for Dias to handle. Someone would have gotten hurt.

"Onii-san!" Leon looked horrified that Dias had openly spoken of Ashton's awful luck. Ashton couldn't help it as his grin widened, knowing that Dias hadn't meant it the way that Leon had taken it.

"It's fine. I agree with him," Ashton said quickly, shooting Dias a look that he knew the swordsman could feel through his back. Dias was sensitive to that sort of thing. "I mean, I must have really terrible luck, right? I managed to get possessed by a two headed dragon." Gyoro and Ururun each nuzzled one of Ashton's shoulders. "I mean, I love you guys, but come on. I would like to have my body back for... well, me."

Dias made a little snort, Leon's ears flattened back again, and Ashton laughed. By the time they finally made it out of the cave, Ashton felt as though his side were about to split from laughing at the tension between Leon and Dias. It would have helped if Dias liked children more, but as it was, he was determined to treat Leon exactly like an adult. And no matter how much Leon claimed to want to be treated that way, the thirteen year old enjoyed the pseudo-adult status that Ashton gave him: listening when he spoke, but still indulging in his child-like arrogance.

The sunlight was a welcome change in pace, and Ashton watched as Dias took his time, stretching, turning his face to the heat of it. Leon was behind them, gathering up his group of scientists- sent by the king himself, so they couldn't lose any of them- and the only warning was the sudden, "No, I've got-!"

Ashton turned, and a blinding light shot past him; it cleared him by mere inches, and he stood perfectly still for just a moment before he spun back around. Dias was standing there, his eyes narrow and calculating as he surveyed his own body. The light had completely shredded most of his clothes, what was left hung on by threads, and Dias snorted one. Ashton immediately pulled off his own cloak and handed it to Dias, still in mild shock from what had happened. Only...

"What did it do, Dias? Just tear your clothes?" Ashton frowned as he studied the swordsman. Their fingers brushed over the cloak, and then Dias jerked back, suddenly coughing, one hand held up to his mouth. He held up the other one toward Leon and Ashton, a sign for them to keep back. Then there was a sickening pop and he was jerking down, dropping to his knees as … _something_ happened.

"Dias!" Ashton tried to press forward anyway, but someone was holding him back. Ururun snapped at one of the hands, but Gyoro reached around and held him back, effectively agreeing with everyone else that it was safest to not touch as Dias's body began to twist and contort- more of those awful popping and crackling noises, and Dias was digging his fingers into the ground. Fur rippled over his hands, over the skin that they could see. His clothes seemed to finally give up. They were falling to the ground, but then Ashton realized that they weren't tearing; it was that Dias's body was growing smaller. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it was all over, and a large house cat was sitting in the pile of clothes. Its tail was twitching in a decidedly irritated fashion.

"Dias?"

Leon and Ashton exchanged glances, and Ashton carefully dislodged his captor's hands before he walked over to the cat. It looked up at him, meowed, and Ashton hesitantly reached down, letting the creature sniff him before he gathered it up into his arms. The cat repositioned himself very carefully, so that he was sitting in Ashton's arms, glaring at everyone who dared look at him. Ashton looked briefly up at Leon, then back at the cat before he said softly, "Dias, I have to make sure it _is _you."

It was as much an apology as it was a warning. The cat's ears flattened back against its head, and it sighed as Ashton turned away from everyone else and gently poked a finger at its stomach. A low growl rumbled out, but it didn't lash out as Ashton felt for the scar that crossed from shoulder to hip on Dias. There it was, lumpy and firm under his fingertips. He swallowed. "Sorry," he whispered as he repositioned the cat- Dias- in his arms. He turned back and nodded miserably toward Leon.

The youth looked shocked for a moment, then was suddenly laughing, pointing at Dias who bristled at the sound.

"Onii-san! You're a cat!" Leon continued to laugh, his voice cracking every few syllables; he was laughing hard enough though that he didn't even seem to notice. Dias's ears flattened even more, the hair along his back standing straight on end as Leon's laughter continued. Ashton hurriedly petted Dias, stroking the cat's head lightly.

"L-Leon," he interjected, whenever the youth stopped to draw a breath, "you can fix it though, right? You can make him human again?" The last thing Ashton wanted was to have Dias trapped in the body of a cat. Wouldn't that just be his luck though? Nearly caused the destruction of the world, got himself possessed by a two-headed dragon, and now had his lover trapped in the body of a cat because of something they were hoping would fix his own situation?

"What? Oh... Of course I can fix it, Ashton-nii-chan!" Leon thumped his fist on his own chest, but instead of reaching for the innocuous little cube or a book, he turned and started walking off toward the camp. "I'll see about fixing it as soon as I've eaten." He grinned, whistling loudly, much to Ashton's horror. Leon was enjoying this a little too much.

Dias leaped out of Ashton's arms and walked beside him, as regally as only a cat could. Ashton sneaked another glance. Dias made a truly handsome, if not huge, cat. He had a lean body, but it was covered with one of the thickest coats Ashton had ever seen. The long silver-blue hair was especially prominent on the tail that he was swinging wildly, trying to keep his balance. Apparently, coordinating four feet was not as instinctive as Ashton figured it should be. Dias was stepping very carefully, but he wouldn't let Ashton pick him back up to carry him. His pride got in the way.

Ashton hid a little grin. At least until Leon fixed this, Dias would be playing the part. He was exceptionally feline in his normal attitude, and even though Dias _hated_ cats, he would fit in.


End file.
